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a summertime dessert

Happy July 4th! We’ve had a really fun weekend so far, and we’re headed to a barbecue later this afternoon to round it all out. The weather has been absolutely perfect and we’ve seen fireworks everywhere we’ve been, too, which has been so great. We went out for sushi, spent the day at Governors Island, and even went to a wedding! We usually go out of town for the holiday, but we’ve got a vacation planned in two weeks, so we decided to stay around this year. I think it might be our first 4th of July in the city since we moved here, if you can believe it. The nice thing about being in town for holidays is that New York really clears out. I would imagine that Manhattan is crowded with tourists and whatnot, but our neighborhood is pretty empty and it’s great. You sort of feel like you have the whole city to yourself. I will, of course, have more photos to share, but for now, I’m going to bombard you with more of our Nevis trip. I can’t help it!

Kramer enjoying Nevis.

If you’re headed to a picnic or a BBQ today, this crumble is the perfect thing to make. It’s incredibly easy to throw together, and you can use any random fruit you have laying around. I went all out for this one: apricots, plums, rhubarb, and cherries that I had in my freezer. Pies are all well and good, but you have to plan ahead for that. You have to make the crust, chill it, bake the pie, and then let it cool for a few hours before you can slice into it. This crumble is the lazy man’s pie, and I’m fine with that! Toss your fruit together, add it to a baking dish, crush up some cookies and throw them on top, bake, and serve. If you have some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, hey, all the better. No worrying about cutting up the perfect slice here–just scoop and eat! You’re welcome.

1 sleeve shortbread cookies (I used some leftover Girl Scout cookies I had in the freezer)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Half your apricots and remove their pits. Slice the halves once more lengthwise into slightly thinner rounds (you can big, chunky pieces of fruit for this). Place them in a large bowl. Do the same for the plums. Clean and slice your rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the same bowl, then add in your berries of choice. Toss with your cornstarch, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Roughly crush your shortbread cookies with your hands and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Toss them with the brown sugar and cinnamon, then add in your melted butter and use your hands to mix until a crumble forms.

Butter a 10-inch tart or pie pan (9-inch square cake pan would also work). Scoop your fruit into your prepared pan, then top with your crumble. Pat down slightly with your hands so the crumble sticks to the fruit. Place the pan on a baking sheet (to protect your oven from any drips) and bake for 45 minutes or so, until golden brown and bubbling. Allow the crumble to cool for an hour or so before serving (you can also just pop it in the fridge). This will keep well, refrigerated and covered with foil, for two days.